Why Life Feels Harder Even When the Tinubu Government Says Things Are Improving

Better-Numbers-but-tougher-living-conditions

 

By Streaming Naija

Government officials keep repeating a familiar message: The economy is improving. Inflation is easing. Reforms are working. Nigeria is on the path to recovery. On paper, these claims are not entirely false. Some economic indicators do look better than they did months ago. Inflation has slowed. Revenue has increased. Exchange rate pressures have eased compared to the peak of the crisis. Yet across markets, homes, offices, and transport routes, many Nigerians are asking a simple but powerful question:

If things are improving, why does life feel harder?

The answer lies in the wide gap between statistics and lived reality.

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Inflation Slowing Is Not the Same as Prices Falling

This is the most misunderstood part of the conversation. When the government says inflation is “slowing” or “easing,” it does not mean prices are dropping sharply. It usually means prices are still rising, just at a slower pace than before, or declining only marginally from extremely high levels.

For example:

• Garri moves from ₦1,000 to ₦2,000 in one year
• Then from ₦2,000 to ₦2,200 the next year

Technically, inflation has slowed. But in real life, garri is still expensive. For households whose income never doubled in the first place, a slower increase offers little comfort because people don’t feel percentages; they feel prices.

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Prices Rose Fast, But Incomes Did Not

During the early phase of the Tinubu administration’s reforms, several shocks happened almost at once:

• Fuel prices jumped
• Transport costs rose immediately
• Food prices followed
• Rent increased
• Electricity and business costs went up

But wages did not move at the same speed. Salaries, allowances, and daily earnings largely stayed the same. So even if prices are rising more slowly now, Nigerians are still trying to survive today’s costs with yesterday’s income. This is why many people now say:

“We are not recovering. We are just adjusting.”

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Economic Recovery Starts at the Top, Not at Home

Most economic improvements begin at the macro level:

• Government revenue
• Foreign reserves
• Investor confidence
• Exchange rate stability

These things matter for long-term stability, but they do not immediately put food on the table. It often takes months or even years before macro-level gains translate into:

• More jobs
• Better wages
• Cheaper food
• Lower transport costs

Right now, Nigerians are living in that uncomfortable waiting period where pain arrives first, and relief is delayed.

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Everyday Costs Are Still Crushing Households

Even with “improving figures,” daily expenses remain heavy:

• Food still takes the largest share of income
• Transport remains expensive
• Electricity is unstable, forcing businesses and households to rely on generators.
• Rent continues to rise
• School fees and healthcare cost more

People don’t measure the economy by charts or press statements. They measure it by how much is left after buying food. And for many households, the answer is still: almost nothing.

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Reforms Fix Old Problems, but Create New Pain First

Supporters of the administration argue that these reforms were necessary to prevent long-term economic collapse. That may well be true. But reforms often work like surgery:

• The pain comes before the healing
• Patients feel worse before they feel better

The problem is that many Nigerians were already weak before the surgery began. So the real question for households is not whether reforms are theoretically sound, but whether they can survive long enough to experience the benefits.

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Relief Is Uneven: Some Feel It, Many Do Not

Specific sectors are already seeing improvement:

• Government finances
• Banking
• Oil and gas
• Export-related businesses

But most Nigerians work in the informal economy:

• Traders
• Artisans
• Farmers
• Transport workers
• Daily earners

For them, improvement is slower, harder to see, and often inconsistent. This creates a disconnect where government officials speak confidently about progress, while the majority feels left out of the recovery story.

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Nigerians Are No Longer Protesting Loudly, They Are Adjusting Quietly

This may be the most worrying sign. Instead of mass protests, many Nigerians are quietly adapting:

• Eating less
• Buying smaller portions
• Delaying hospital visits
• Taking extra jobs
• Pulling children out of private schools
• Moving to cheaper housing

This quiet adjustment does not trend on social media, but it reflects deep strain. When people stop shouting and start shrinking their lives, it says more than any protest ever could.

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So What Is Really Happening?

Two things can be true at the same time:

• The economy may be stabilising
• Life can still feel harder for ordinary people

Until wages improve, food becomes more affordable, and daily costs reduce, many Nigerians will not believe recovery has begun, no matter what the numbers say. The question Nigerians are asking has changed.

It is no longer:
“Are the reforms working?”

It is now:
“How long before ordinary working people actually feel the relief?”

Because survival cannot wait forever.

Do you feel any real improvement in your daily life, or are you just surviving differently? Tell us where you live and what has changed for you under this administration.